Memory
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House BY
on 10th Avenue
SONA URADNIK
NW Dance Project is a contemporary dance company located in Portland , Oregon dedicated to the creation and performance of original contemporary dance . The project aims to provide dancers and choreographers with a creative space to workshop and perform their contemporary art . NW Dance Project is committed to making art accessible to the public , so they do not limit themselves to studio performances . Their performances can be seen in coffee shops , parks , hospitals , and even mall escalators . NW Dance Project strives to engage individuals who may not have a background or interest in dance . They hope to “ perform , educate , create , cultivate , and champion diversity while engaging and deepening public appreciation and support of dance .”
NW Dance Project was founded in 2004 by Sarah Slipper . Slipper received her training at the Royal Ballet School in London and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School of Canada . In 1980 , she made her debut with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet as a corps de ballet member and became one of the company ’ s leading dramatic ballerinas . Slipper has held principal roles in “ Swan Lake ,” “ Les Sylphides ,” “ Giselle ,” and “ The Nutcracker .” From 1996 to 1997 Slipper served as the ballet mistress at the Alberta Theater and would go on to work primarily with the Jefferson Dancers , the elite dance company from Jefferson High School in Portland . She currently plays an active role in teaching and is an award-winning choreographer , having created over fifty ballets to date .
When Slipper founded NW Dance Project , she began with the concept of doing a summer project that would benefit dancers and choreographers . Slipper worked on the initial project with Scott Lewis , who remains the current executive director of NW Dance Project . She saw these dancers go through particularly grueling audition processes while not progressing as much as she would
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